Could free community college come to Massachusetts?

THE ISSUE: Four states now offer free community college to their residents, covering tuition and mandatory fees.

LOCAL IMPACT: It could likely cost Massachusetts an estimated $127 million annually to eliminate tuition and mandatory fees for in-state students currently enrolled in community colleges.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

After Rhode Island recently became the fourth state in the country to offer free community college to its residents, some are calling for Massachusetts to consider following a similar path.

“Massachusetts is known for being an innovator in education,” said Sen. Michael O. Moore, D-Millbury, co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. “I would hate to see us fall behind in this one area.”

Earlier this year, Moore filed a bill to make Massachusetts community colleges free for residents of the state. The bill, S.2088, is just a few sentences long and doesn’t delve into many specifics. It states that the Commonwealth, not the individual community colleges, would be responsible for bearing the cost.

“I’m looking at redrafting the legislation in committee to have a true study done on the number of students, the true cost and whether it will actually benefit the economy of Massachusetts,” said Moore, who filed similar legislation in 2015. “We need a much more in-depth conversation on this, and filing it brings it up for discussion.”

At the 15 Massachusetts community colleges, tuition and mandatory fees were, on average, $5,798 per year in fiscal 2017. There were 58,596 full-time students, and 127,324 total students. The community colleges operate under an open admission policy, meaning residents with a high school diploma or GED are able to enroll without completing a selective application process.

“The problem is — and I’m very realistic about this — is how do we pay for it?” Moore said.

The nonprofit Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center released a report in 2015 that projected it would cost $127.2 million in additional net annual funding to eliminate tuition and mandatory fees for all in-state students currently enrolled at community colleges. That figure is in addition to the $192 million in existing grants, aid and public sources of student support already in place.

In Tennessee, Oregon, New York and Rhode Island — the four states that now offer free community college to their residents — publicly funded “promise scholarships” cover the remaining costs after federal financial aid grants are factored in.

“That seems to be the popular route,” said Jennifer Poulos, associate director of the Boston-based Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. “They seem to be very promising proposals, especially considering what we know about the importance of a postsecondary credential or degree.”

Depending on the state, “promise scholarships” may be limited to recent high school graduates and include requirements for the students to enroll full-time, maintain a certain grade-point average and remain in the state. New York is the only state that also offers tuition-free education at public four-year colleges.

A person with a two-year degree earns an average of $9,400 per year more than someone with only a high school diploma, according to the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center. Graduates with four-year degrees earn an average of $21,100 more per year than people with just a high school diploma.

Noah Berger, executive director of the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center, admits that under the current cycle of tight state budgets, it would be unlikely for a free community college proposal to gain serious traction. That could change, however, depending on the fate of a proposed state constitutional amendment that would charge a 4 percent surtax on incomes in excess of $1 million, earmarking the additional revenue for transportation and education.

“I think right now in the current budget context it would be very difficult, but in the next year there will be debate on a proposal to add money for transportation and education,” Berger said. “I think it’s hard to see how the state could make significant new investments in higher education without a new revenue source.”